Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has vowed that his administration will not demolish any structure or dispossess any citizen of property without fair and adequate compensation.
The governor also assured residents that his government would not hide under the guise of “overriding public interest” to displace property owners in the course of executing development projects.
“We will not demolish any structure or dispossess any citizen of his or her building without fair and adequate compensation,” he stated.
Sani made the pledge on Thursday in Rigasa at the flag-off of the distribution of compensation cheques to 189 affected households along the Rigasa township roads.
He recalled that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Makera Road, Lokoja Road, Ado Gwaram Road and Asmau Makarfi Spur was performed on September 12, 2025, noting that work on the projects had progressed steadily.
According to him, drainage systems and hydraulic structures have been constructed, while earthworks have advanced significantly along key sections of the roads.
The governor, however, acknowledged that the projects posed a moral challenge, as homes, businesses and essential service infrastructure were located within the designated right-of-way.
He said he subsequently directed that construction be temporarily slowed to allow for a thorough, transparent and equitable assessment of all affected properties and utilities.
“As a matter of policy, we have resolved that no citizen will be made to suffer unjustly in the name of development,” he said.
“We will not cloak expediency in the language of ‘overriding public interest.’ Public interest must never eclipse private rights without restitution,” he added.
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Sani stated that since assuming office on May 29, 2023, his administration has been guided by the principles of justice, compassion and integrity.
“Roads, bridges and public works may define the physical landscape of a state, but it is fairness and empathy that define its moral landscape,” he said.
He disclosed that the compensation exercise reflects a consistent policy of his administration, revealing that about 120 households in Mahuta on the Rabah Road project had been compensated.
He added that 282 households from Magajiya to Albarkawa in Zaria, 14 households from Audi to Kako, 86 households linking Dogon Bauchi to Kakiyeyi, and 33 households along the Kabala Costain corridor had also received compensation.
“In total, we have disbursed about N2.85 billion in compensation,” the governor stated.
Sani thanked affected residents for their patience and understanding, stressing that the compensation was not an act of charity but the fulfilment of justice, enabling beneficiaries to relocate, rebuild or reorganise their lives with dignity.